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Anglesey

807 images Created 5 Dec 2009

This is a constantly updating gallery of photographic images for prints of Anglesey in North Wales. The latest landscapes will be seen first, but as this beautiful island has so much variation of land and seascapes, it really is worth checking the earliest images I have on file.

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  • A last minute decision to head for the North Anglesey coast didn't deliver quite the drama that I'd hoped for, or the waves. Nevertheless the gentle, moody, subtle light and smooth, delicate ripples on the ocean offered some wonderful opportunities nevertheless. I wore my wetsuit whilst taking these images but after half an hour of near zero physical activity in the sea, waiting for the sunset, the chill set in as soon as the sun sank over the horizon.
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  • A last minute decision to head for the North Anglesey coast didn't deliver quite the drama that I'd hoped for, or the waves. Nevertheless the gentle, moody, subtle light and smooth, delicate ripples on the ocean offered some wonderful opportunities nevertheless. I wore my wetsuit whilst taking these images but after half an hour of near zero physical activity in the sea, waiting for the sunset, the chill set in as soon as the sun sank over the horizon.
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  • Banks of cloud kept obliterating the sunshine but eventually the sun appeared and sparkled off the warm sea where I floated upon remnants of gale-blown waves.
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  • Gentle evening sunshine crosses the barbed-wire divide of grass-covered dune-land near Newborough on Anglesey.
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  • I'm always so grateful, that even during periods of great lows, some surprisng and exceptionally wonderful moments present themselves, uplifting us and making our hearts beat faster, for good, positive reasons, not for reasons we may have been facing beforehand. <br />
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At an extreme low tide, the lowest I've ever seen on this beach where even a distant boat wreck seemed reachable, I was quite simply blown away by the sheer beauty of the surreal landscape exposed.
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  • This beach doesn't change profile that often, but when it does, it seems quite significant, leaving large pools & lagoons, with fish-like undulations of sand ripples. As we move towards summer, it was so uplifting to see change on its way.
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  • Wave jumping in big waves at Rhosneigr, April 2022
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  • Wave jumping in big waves at Rhosneigr, April 2022
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  • Floating in dark water in Cemlyn Bay at sunset. Even at low tide the water turned deep quickly. The sea was cold and I gasped as each gentle wave rose around my neck. The brilliant sunshine kept me uplifted as the most subtle undulations on the surface reflected the warmth.
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  • No need for many words, just short-lived, unexpected & beautiful
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  • The sun is never extinguished, just like beautiful memories
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  • This beach doesn't change profile that often, but when it does, it seems quite significant, leaving large pools & lagoons, with fish-like undulations of sand ripples. As we move towards summer, it was so uplifting to see change on its way.
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  • As I floated in the calm sea, looking towards the embers of an intense sunset, a fire crackled on the beach behind me. I turned to look, and a romantic couple sat huddled together around the flames, staring into the same sunset. The draw of the water, the draw of flames, there’s something eternally mesmerising about the elements to so many people isn’t there?
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  • Such darkness, so many worries, so much choppy water, but always glimmers of wonder & positivity. As hope disappears over the horizon and we think all is lost, it's only a short time before the magnificent sun of promise appears again, reminding us that life goes on.
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  • When I came out of the Strait this morning, 8º seawater dripping off my skin, for the first time this year the sun felt warm. I stood motionless on the limestone pebbles, in breezeless air, letting the sunlight gently warm my body. It was one of those moments when you just want to spend the rest of the day in the same location, but the gallery was calling and I sadly had to leave this perfection.
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  • Sometimes when drowning in dark waters, a light shines so brightly that it hope swells & waves of new ideas roll in. I've needed to see this brightness for a while now, and my creative brain is energised by it.
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  • Nothing better at the coast than crystal clear seas, and finally after a winter of murky depths, the water had miraculously cleared, despite recent storms. The water had cooled again , to 7.5º which was very noticeable when taking pictures rather than actively swimming.
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  • Prints up to A3 only<br />
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Another swim during terrible weather. I found this sheltered little cove to swim in during the arrival of Storm Franklin. For some reason the sea was now 8.4º, still cold but half a degree warmer than of late.
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  • It was strange to think that so many people down south were being so badly affected by Storm Eunice, when apart from some hefty breeze, this was little in the way of obvious storm at all. The only very obvious thing, though subtle & quiet, was the storm surge, when a massive volume of water was pushed from the Irish Sea up the Menai Strait, resulting in flooded roads and byways and disappearing beaches. This lovely navigational sculpture os so often high & dry but today was most definitely in the sea it marks.
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  • Small crowds gathered to watch Beaumaris Pier nearly submerge during Storm Eunice, caused by a storm surge mixed with spring tides. From the side, it appeared the pier had no supports at all, more like a floating pontoon.
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  • Beaumaris Pier nearly submerged during Storm Eunice, caused by a storm surge mixed with spring tides. From the side, it appeared the pier had no supports at all, more like a floating pontoon.
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  • Storm surge from Storm Eunice, combined with high Spring tides, resulted in the Menai Strait flooding the road between Beaumaris & Llangoed on Anglesey with 2-3 ft of seawater. Only the biggest vehicles managed to push through.<br />
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ONLY AVAILABLE as A4 prints
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  • Another of those wonderful moments when a dreary day gets blown away by strong winds and the sun is allowed to burst through and spread its glory. Wide-eyed and a heart full of joy, I relished everything about this chance event
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  • Another of those wonderful moments when a dreary day gets blown away by strong winds and the sun is allowed to burst through and spread its glory. Wide-eyed and a heart full of joy, I relished everything about this chance event
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  • Another of those wonderful moments when a dreary day gets blown away by strong winds and the sun is allowed to burst through and spread its glory. Wide-eyed and a heart full of joy, I relished everything about this chance event
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  • I couldn't get over the sheer numbers of gulls that were diving into the sea as huge waves crashed over the reefs at Trearddur Bay. They didn't seem perturbed when engulfed in spray or emerging from the surf. I can only assume that the fish were quite bemused by the ocean above and were easy picking for the gulls
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  • After two wonderful weeks in Cornwall, it was back to the reality of 'normality' and work & earning a living, apart from less time together, so there were definitely some blues for us last week, BUT walking on an Anglesey beach or throwing oneself into the Anglesey sea in just your shorts soon reminds you just how fantastic it is as a place to live your 'normal life'
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  • A beautifully delicate seascape composed of washes of dusk light and saturated air at a near-deserted beach at Rhosneigr. Unusually, no foot or paw prints anywhere, just a wonderful expanse of virgin sand.
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  • The most beautifully delicate pools of windblown sea on a near deserted wide beach at West Anglesey. Unusually, no foot or paw prints anywhere, just a wonderful expanse of virgin sand and a watercolour wash of sunset.
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  • The only time I ever saw my Dad actually swim, was at this beach on North East Anglesey, perhaps 40 or more years ago. Tonight was just wonderful colours after my own early evening 'skins' swim in 8.5º sea.<br />
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This image looks beautiful as a print but is only available up to A3 size.
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  • A post swim stroll along a misty Ty'n Tywyn beach, watching nature doing its thing as the sun rose in the sky and slowly warmed the icy air. In the background is Barclodiad y Gawres a Neolithic Burial Chamber. I find it so strange to watch life happening now when roughly 5000 years ago Nee Stone Age people would have also seen the same sunrises and heard the same sea & sounds of nature.
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  • More surreal moments in the thick fog of late. This was before work on a cold December morning. The Britannia Bridge was one minute complete, the next half missing as the vapour pulsed to and fro across the Afon Menai. A lonely gull leaves the islet of Ynys Gorad Goch, flying into nothingness
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  • Winding my away along narrow rural lanes to get to the beach, the valleys full of icy fog, this elevated farmhouse was silhouetted by the morning sunrise which turned everything from a steely-blue to a warm orange hue. So often we'd walk, cycle or drive by scenes like this without batting an eyelid, but in atmospheric conditions like this, everything was mesmerisingly beautiful.
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  • Just a few minutes earlier we were lying on dry pebbles, December sunbathing in our coats, but the fog rolled in from the North like a slow moving tidal wave, bringing icy air to those brave souls on the winter beach. The sun tried hard to continue shining upon us but was eventually extinguished.
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  • They've lost their community but stand proud even in their isolation. In the thick fog they seem more alone than ever, but equally their unique character becomes clearer to see, seperated from the new world in which they now survive.
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  • Four large trees standing in icy fog, become one.
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  • This was taken after an early morning swim in the sea on a bitterly cold, mid-December day. Thick fog banks clung to the low-lying valleys of the island but also enveloped the coast. The sunshine was deceiving, as the air temperature was just 1º, but the light and atmosphere were surreal and beautiful.
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  • Storm Barra brought 66 mph gales onto the west coast of the tiny Ynys Mon (Isle of Anglesey) today.  The winds made it near impossible to walk, but strangely, the waves didn't look gigantic as they do in Cornwall, but they were huge for North Wales. <br />
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Every now and then, holes appeared in the sky and brightness illuminated the stormy seas below. I shot just three frames before unwrapping two lobster pots & a huge length of rope that had wrapped itself around a small sea stack (using just my penknife to cut the ropes & massive brute force to lift the pots from the wave battered rocks). I returned to the van in darkness & still hammered by torrential rain.
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  • An extreme low tide and a large tidal pool appeared that I've never seen before. Within ten minutes the pool disappeared and will never appear in the same way again. I love miracle apparitions like this, makes the day.
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  • Sharp, angular teeth of rocks form a barrier to the winter sea, but just beyond there is sand beneath the waves and memories of a summer beach, despite the cold North wind & plummeting temperatures.
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  • No clever trickery, just white-shell footpaths winding their way across the mini moors of Llanddwyn Island off Anglesey. Very little natural landscape anywhere these days but there is some beauty even amongst man-alterted vistas.
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  • Luck or lack of luck, take your pick. Lucky to enjoy some glorious sunshine today, even in a strong North Westerly breeze. However, after 3 hours of rock climbing, 25 minutes of sea swimmin in shorts, and a brisk walk to Llanddwyn lighthouse, the sunset faded rapidly leaving me just a minute to grab this shot before the light disappeared.
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  • Incredible November sunlight for a cool morning swim. Even the Cormorants seemed to be enjoying the unexpected warmth.
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  • Such wonderful contrasts in Winter landscape, bright sunshine against snow covered mountains, cool blue seas against warm toned dunes. In winter everythiung just feels so much more real, vital, timeless. Perhaps the non existent crowds, the sound of the ocean and the wind numbing your face, heighten the reality.
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  • I'd been sea swimming just before dark, in a tiny little cove on an island, and that was by far my priority over taking photos, but as the after drop kicked in and my skin started to tingle as warm blood from my core  seeped outwards, I became aware of an incredible red glow in the sky. I paced up the hillside both to keep warm and also to see the sunset, but the path I was on suddenly inspired me more than the sea beyond.
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  • I love the way the sharp, lichen-covered triangle of the old barn, pierced the gorgeous rounded curves of the green hillside beyond. Colour, light, geometry, history, a wonderful mix.
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  • Too low to swim, too beautiful not to photograph instead.
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  • I screeched to a halt in my van when I saw this. Patchy sunlight reflecting off acres of lush, wind-blown grass in this rural heartland of Anglesey, shimmered in the most mesmerising way. I was captivated by the subtly changing scene.
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  • On an incoming tide with heavy seas rolling in from the West, I took a bit of risk to get this shot, clambering onto wet rocks where huge waves  were crashing all around me. The light was fleeting due to the cloud cover and I had to leave the rock as big rollers started splashing right over me. I grabbed this last frame as the  sun disappeared for the rest of the evening.
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  • On an incoming tide with heavy seas rolling in from the West, I took a bit of risk to get this shot, clambering onto wet rocks where huge waves  were crashing all around me. The light was fleeting due to the cloud cover and I had to leave the rock as big rollers started splashing right over me. This was the last colour frame before the  sun disappeared for the rest of the evening
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  • Ominous rain clouds & wild weather on my journey to the coast last night, but even in the wind & downpours the sea was warm. I felt utterly connected to the elements & I smiled even at the  horizontal rain pricking my back as I tried to dry myself. As Summer fades to memory and Autumn gales replace gentle breezes, immersing myself in the ocean late into the year is becoming a test for me.
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  • Very unusual to witness the pounding of ocean through this small sea arch on Anglesey's North Coast. For such a relatively small geological feature, the sound created within it was awesome.
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  • More than ever it's now all about escaping the crowds, the noise, the rubbish, the presence of man. Thankfully the crowds seems to concentrate on small areas close to car parks - walk just a mile further and the landscape offers what it's always offered to those who appreciate nature over chaos.
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  • Sometimes things just come together, the light, the peace & quiet, the colours, the composition and of course your own heart & mind. There is no such thing as perfect but there are moments of joy when harmony just happens. This evening was one of those moments.
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  • Sometimes things just come together, the light, the peace & quiet, the colours, the composition and of course your own heart & mind. There is no such thing as perfect but there are moments of joy when harmony just happens. This evening was one of those moments.
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  • Just after lockdown three, a release to the wild! A handful of Anglesey locals breathed the sea air once again, shocking the regular visitors which were now flocks of geese, that looked quite surprised by the sudden appearance of humans.
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  • Just after third lockdown & I was making a short documentary program with a young film-maker. We wandered along the normally busy Llanddwyn beach, with just a handful of liberated locals breathing the fresh air. I was so utterly relieved to have the freedom to be on my local beach without fear of being reprimanded. A breeze roughened the surface of the sea but the most beautiful stretches of mirror-like calm seemed to hold the ripples at bay, amazingly.
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  • Up to 12x16" wide on A3 prints only
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  • Beginning of a new day at Afon Menai. Morning light splashes over the beautiful suspension bridge and the sleeping town of Menai Bridge. Always something wonderful about early morning and the promise of hope and things to come.
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  • Deserted beach on Anglesey, shot during lockdown. It was just wonderful to be so alone on this beach, not a soul in sight. I only heard the occasional Oystercatcher and the constant gentle splashing of waves on the shore. This was another moment where I could consider without any distraction, my place & purpose on this planet
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  • Deserted beach on Anglesey, shot during lockdown. It was just wonderful to be so alone on this beach, not a soul in sight. I only heard the occasional Oystercatcher and the constant gentle splashing of waves on the shore. This was another moment where I could consider without any distraction, my place & purpose on this planet.
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  • During the height of lockdown. Studying the surge of energy powering between lHoly Island and mainland Anglesey became a mesmerising visual metaphor for the chaos and darkness in my head. My own stress seemed to drain away as I watched this channel of seawater tumbling back out into the free ocean.
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  • Late Spring flowers, bursting colour through evening sun-lit grass at the far end of Llanddwyn Island on Anglesey.
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  • An HM Custom vessel puts out to sea early one winter's morning on the Menai Strait. In the foreground lie the remnants of the old lifeboat house slipway.
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  • Beautiful, serene, ethereal conditions over Ynys Môn last night, with Mynydd Twr rising out of the sea mist on the North side of the island. Anglesey was once land beneath the Irish Sea, so Holyhead Mountain was momentarily an island once more.
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  • Interior of Eglwys Cwyfan Church, Porth Cwyfan, Anglesey
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  • From a lofty hilltop two hundred or more feet above the sea at North Anglesey, we could smell the sea air. Wave crests were breaking into spindrift and salty spray was funnelled up gullies in the cliffs below to fill our lungs with ocean gale.<br />
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The clouds were changing by the second as they raced overhead, casting wonderfully animated shadows of strange figures on the sea below. Apart from the solid headland of Holyhead Mountain in the distance, the only other constant was the brilliant intensity of spring sunshine, shimmering on the millions of waves fetching across the bay. This was real exposure to the elements and from this high up, standing right at the cliff edge, it felt as though we were flying, carried by thermals almost literally lifting us off our feet.<br />
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On the horizon a ferry noses out of Holyhead Harbour, beginning its three hour voyage upon choppy open waters to Southern Ireland seventy three miles away. I'm with my brother who I haven't walked with for many years, but we used to climb together, sail together and drink together; near inseparable until our late twenties. As we continued our cliff-top ramble, both clutching our walking poles and grumbling about the state of our threadbare knee joints, I realised that the only thing as eternal as the movement of wind, waves and tide, was the love between us brothers, all of us brothers. Although our separate lives are racing by faster than we would like, and that we will become just someone else's memories, these beautiful, wild, universal elements will be there for an eternity, bringing similar humbling joy to others in the future.
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  • Just a week ago and Jani & I found ourselves walking further than planned, to a silent signal station on Northern Anglesey. We sat beyond the walls in beautiful evening sunshine listening to perfect natural sounds, of gliding gulls, singing seals, sleepy skylarks and clamouring choughs. We drank coffee and ate cake as the sun set, before a stiff & steep cliff walk back up to the summits, but really I think we could have happily dreamed there.
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  • A short post-work walk on Rhosneigr beach. It was dull, cold and dreary and we started to head back to the van, when from beneath a bak of cloud a huge ball of sun stated to show through the vapour and changed the colour of the scene. Jani was so cold she left my lying on the cold shingle, hand-holding my telephoto lens to record the journey of the sun until it faded into thick fog.<br />
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I always carry my mega heavyweight camera bag everywhere, which has taken a huge toll on my body, but this is why - out of nowhere something amazing just happens, and I'd be deeply frustrated if I didn't have my kit with me to record it.
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  • A short post-work walk on Rhosneigr beach. It was dull, cold and dreary and we started to head back to the van, when from beneath a bak of cloud a huge ball of sun stated to show through the vapour and changed the colour of the scene. Jani was so cold she left my lying on the cold shingle, hand-holding my telephoto lens to record the journey of the sun until it faded into thick fog.<br />
<br />
I always carry my mega heavyweight camera bag everywhere, which has taken a huge toll on my body, but this is why - out of nowhere something amazing just happens, and I'd be deeply frustrated if I didn't have my kit with me to record it.
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  • What's been so utterly wonderful this last few months, is the trail-free sky. Week after week of nothing but natural clouds and blue skies. Indeed when you do see a plane people actually notice it & comment upon it. It's so strange that something we took for granted, and accepted as part of our 'natural' world, was actually so prevalent, so intrusive within our vistas and of course so polluting. I've been quite elated at seeing so many landscape scenes as they would have been seen a hundred and more years ago, visually unspoiled (if we ignore the plastic pollution on every Anglesey & North Wales beach of course!)
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  • Unbelievably rare opportunity to stand alone looking at this lighthouse. Normally there are line-ups of dozens of photographers all vying for position on well-worn perches to photograph this tick-list honeypot. I think this is perhaps only the third time in three decades that I’ve ever stopped on my walk to make a picture, as I just don’t enjoy the jostling with others, I want & need to be alone. I love Ynys Llanddwyn but for me at least, I don’t go to the island for the lighthouse but for the landscape and views over the bay and back to the mainland.<br />
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Today with just the wind whispering in the marram grass, and the sound of waves on the distant shore, it was a perfect opportunity to stand and reflect without distraction upon the original reason for the existence of the lighthouses. I was able to consider the jagged rocky coastline, the character-rich profile of the Eryri mountains in the background and the huge, but very shallow stretch of treacherous sea that separates the land masses. It’s no wonder that a lighthouse was sited here before electronic navigation mitigated their purpose.
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  • I'm always searching for a particular ‘secret image’ at Llanddwyn but I now believe that I won't ever find it. However on my search I came across this beautiful ‘zone’ where grasses and shapes and structure were simply wonderful. The sun came out whilst I was shooting, but it simply didn't work as a photo, it needed the overcast lighting.  It's quite an alien landscape which is continually evolving due to the exposed windy location.
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  • Normally at this time of year, when you see a beach like this, the marks on the sand are from footprints of beach-goers, but today on a near-empty stretch of beach at very low tide, these millions of impressions are entirely natural, an intricate but vast web of interconnected structures created during the outgoing tide. Streams from stranded beach pools desperately cutting their way to the ocean are an ongoing fascination for me.
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  • Absolutely taken aback by the level of flooding in these normally bone dry sand dune valleys. The warm early Spring sunshine was clearly inspiring the skylarks as there were dozens of them, singing their little hearts out. It made me happy thinking about the Summer, and I hope they were as happy as I was.
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  • I have to be honest, I normally steer well clear of Trearddur, normally populated by hundreds of beachgoers, jet-skis, power boats, 4x4s on the sand, boat trailers and sailing dinghies. The small bay is surrounded on all sides by a hotchpotch of architecture, some interesting, some ghastly, but either way is not a place of peace, tranquility and natural landscape that I normally seek for my imagery.<br />
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However, during this lockdown I was able to witness a little bit of history, for even on this beautiful blue-sky day there were only a dozen people on the whole beach, and most kept close to the promenade. For the short period of time I was there, looking to create new images for a loyal customer, I had a small sense of how lovely the bay itself actually is, without the crowds. Long foamy pulses of Irish Sea waves pushed themselves up the broad sandy shore, licking their way around the stumps of petrified forest that I'd never seen before and never knew existed.<br />
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In the distance a dog walker wandered into the burning light and the call of oystercatchers could be heard over the sound of the waves. The virgin sand was mostly unspoiled by footprints and if it were not for the urban skyline I could have imagined myself on an ancient beach, nothing more than a stretch of coastline where the beautiful predictability of high & low tide were all that mattered in the world.
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  • I have to be honest, I normally steer well clear of Trearddur, normally populated by hundreds of beachgoers, jet-skis, power boats, 4x4s on the sand, boat trailers and sailing dinghies. The small bay is surrounded on all sides by a hotchpotch of architecture, some interesting, some ghastly, but either way is not a place of peace, tranquility and natural landscape that I normally seek for my imagery.<br />
.<br />
However, during this lockdown I was able to witness a little bit of history, for even on this beautiful blue-sky day there were only a dozen people on the whole beach, and most kept close to the promenade. For the short period of time I was there, looking to create new images for a loyal customer, I had a small sense of how lovely the bay itself actually is, without the crowds. Long foamy pulses of Irish Sea waves pushed themselves up the broad sandy shore, licking their way around the stumps of petrified forest that I'd never seen before and never knew existed.<br />
.<br />
In the distance a dog walker wandered into the burning light and the call of oystercatchers could be heard over the sound of the waves. The virgin sand was mostly unspoiled by footprints and if it were not for the urban skyline I could have imagined myself on an ancient beach, nothing more than a stretch of coastline where the beautiful predictability of high & low tide were all that mattered in the world.
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  • I have to be honest, I normally steer well clear of Trearddur, normally populated by hundreds of beachgoers, jet-skis, power boats, 4x4s on the sand, boat trailers and sailing dinghies. The small bay is surrounded on all sides by a hotchpotch of architecture, some interesting, some ghastly, but either way is not a place of peace, tranquility and natural landscape that I normally seek for my imagery.  <br />
<br />
However, during this lockdown I was able to witness a little bit of history, for even on this beautiful blue-sky day there were only a dozen people on the whole beach, and most kept close to the promenade. For the short period of time I was there, looking to create new images for a loyal customer, I had a small sense of how lovely the bay itself actually is, without the crowds. Long foamy pulses of Irish Sea waves pushed themselves up the broad sandy shore, licking their way around the stumps of petrified forest that I'd never seen before and never knew existed.<br />
<br />
 In the distance a dog walker wandered into the burning light and the call of oystercatchers could be heard over the sound of the waves. The virgin sand was mostly unspoiled by footprints and if it were not for the urban skyline I could have imagined myself on an ancient beach, nothing more than a stretch of coastline where the beautiful predictability of high & low tide were all that mattered in the world.
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  • We have been extremely lucky on Ynys Môn not to have suffered the catastrophic flooding of elsewhere in the UK, and indeed I've been captivated by the sheer beauty of partially drowned landscapes that are normally so dry. The low-level flooding transformed everyday nothingness into beautiful textured mirrors of late winter skies. As I studied the delicateness of these water-logged grasses, I heard the first skylark of the year, and with it my heart lifted and I was imbued with hope for the future.
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  • One of my first images that I was truly proud of, was of intensely side-lit, cliff-top grasses blowing around granite boulders at Land's End at the most South Westerly tip of the British Isles. The light on the wind-blown sand dunes at Rhosneigr were such a vivid reminder of the light & textures I experienced nearly 40 years ago. I honestly felt as if I was there on the Cornish clifftop and I didn't want to leave the place.
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  • With the endless storms this last few months, and howling, damaging winds, small moments of pure warm sunshine are such an uplift. Bursts of positivity in such negative times.
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  • The burial stones have been here thousands of years, a sign of people & culture long past. The sea batters the coast endlessly and gradually the land is disappearing. At some geological point in time the ancient burial mound will be swallowed by an ocean and our time on this planet could well be measured.
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  • It was the most beautiful light today, bright, delicate, ethereal. The landscape was softened & simplified by the weather. Even though unable to see the sea from here, this was unmistakably near the coast. The air was warmer than of late, even though the waves were still pounding the shore from recent storms.
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  • I’ve seen an increasing number of people, understandably reclaiming open beaches on the island. Months & months of lockdowns is destroying peoples minds so they are daring to drive a handful of miles to get to open space, to the beach for a lungful of fresh sea air and safe mental balance.<br />
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For too long this draconian, illogical & bad-science ‘local’ travel ban, has been hurting people. We are not prisoners. Most people I know are intelligent, educated and really care about keeping others safe, but walking on a local beach or hillside will categorically not spread a virus or hurt others. The virus has been spread most rapidly and obviously through the mixing of friends & families in their homes, and also by colleagues in close workplaces, NOT from the beach. <br />
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I fear that the long term effect of such ill-considered local travel bans will have created long term psychological damage for many people in society, especially for those who live for the outdoors & nature, who have chosen to spend their lives in often economically deprived areas for one reason only, to be closer to the great outdoors because they need it for their health and their peace of mind.
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  • The simple act of walking a long a beach, the salt spray on your face and fresh sea air in your lungs, must never ever be taken for granted. For some it's one of the main reasons for living.
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  • There are some images that really should be video, not stills. I think maybe this is one of them. I like the image but only because of my memory of the event; sheets of sand were lifting in the gale and blowing at high speed towards me. The stream was almost gurgling as it tumbled to meet the sea and a flock of geese were chatting to each other as they dabbled in the pebbly sand pools. There was so much going on and so much to hear that I'm not sure any still image begins to describe the beauty of it all. <br />
<br />
I have a feeling that I really need to start shooting 'moving stills', not video as such, just still frames where the world moves within the frame. To share my experiences with others, I feel there are occasions where extra information is needed, audio & movement at least. Now HOW do I record & synchronise the sounds of my scene with the camera - a whole new world of learning & I'm not sure I have enough years left to learn!
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  • The UK Coastguard Sikorsky S-92 helicopter from Caernarfon Airport, in rescue training off Llanddwyn Island. The air was around 1º before wind chill, so I can only imagine how much hot tea he drank after this half hour session of being dunked in the brine!
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  • A quick detour down to Llanddwyn to photograph a huge dark snow-cloud floating over Ynys Mon, but although a sprinkling of delicate snowflakes blew past me, the snow-clouds simply disappeared, a calm sunset taking its place. The multitude of colours within the mass of pebbles in this area is quite something to consider. The wonder of geology.
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  • A quick detour down to Llanddwyn to photograph a huge dark snow-cloud floating over Ynys Mon, but although a sprinkling of delicate snowflakes blew past me, the snow-clouds simply disappeared, a calm sunset taking its place.
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  • It was strange seeing sunbursts on the horizon, even catching the distant hills, as a huge snowcloud came in from behind. The gentlest fall of snowflakes landed on my camera as the ambient light dropped rapidly. Gradually the snow softened the rays of weak sunshine until it all but disappeared. It looked wonderful in reallife but was altogether just too grey for a photo.
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  • Late afternoon sunlight on a dilapidated old boathouse in Porthaethwy on the Isle of Anglesey.  This place has been patched & patched over the years and I'm surprised it's still standing at all.
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  • Superficially things look different, but over time you come to realise that everything just goes around and around, a repeat of rhythms, patterns and inescapable forces.
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  • There are many days when we need saving, and I wish it was as easy as throwing a ring. Desperate for sunlight, desperate for escape, desperate to live life rather than just exist.
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  • At the outset of the pandemic when we thought just a few months may have delivered a happy summer. As the fog cleared, a beautiful and gentle sunset appeared, illuminating the calm sea on a slowly incoming tide.
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  • Flooded sand dunes seems like an unlikely possibility, but it was real! Not only that but the surface was partly frozen creating fascinating fractals across the surface.
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  • Beyond the vast open landscape, bathed in low winter sunshine, snowclouds dropped their delicate loads over the Strait and Welsh mountains.
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Glyn Davies, Professional Photographer and Gallery

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